Out the Other's 2007 Bookworm Giveaway

UPDATE:  Okay guys, due to my extended blogging vacay, I've decided to extend this contest as well.  I promise it's easy and a bunch have already submitted the answers, so go ahead and submit yours by January 10 and you'll be entered to win!!

Those of you who have clicked over to my about page have probably noticed that the only info you'll really find there is a list of the books I've read in the past two years.  In January of 2006, in hopes of reigniting my love of reading, I resolved to make it through 36 books before the end of the year - and succeeded.  In 2007 I did it again, and I'm proud to say that earlier this week I completed book number 33, so I'm on track to finish by the end of this month on December 30th I finished book #37, so I even read one more book than I planned to!

When I first set this goal almost two years ago, I decided that even though my resolution had nothing to do with music, I would keep a list of the books I've read somewhere on my website to hold myself accountable.  The coolest thing is that such a small thing - a list I posted just to help me keep track - was noticed by so many of YOU, the readers of this blog.  I think music nerds and book nerds tend to be the same kind of people, because I can't even count how many emails I've received in the past two years that have mentioned that list - whether it's a PR person who tacked a sentence about a particular book onto their email, or a musician who went out of their way to tell me about their favorite author, or just a friendly reader who sent an email specifically to recommend a book. 

So it's time to thank all of you - with Out the Other's 2007 Bookworm Giveaway.  To help you kick off your reading in 2008, I'm giving away a prize pack of hand-picked bookworm goodies to one lucky winner.  You have the chance to score the following:

• One copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - my favorite book from this year's reading list
• One copy of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace - my second favorite from this year, and definitely the most challenging book I tackled
• One copy of Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs - my favorite book from 2006's reading list
• One $20 gift card for Barnes & Noble

So how does the giveaway work, you ask?  Of course, with this being a music blog and all, I decided to tie this in with a nice little reading mini-mix, and for your chance to win you have to play a matching game.

Here's how it works:  each of the following five songs matches up with one of the books that I've read in 2007 (the list is after the jump) - which means the artist name or title of the song has something to do with one of the books.  Some of the matches are obvious, and a few may need more knowledge of the book (but pretty simple googling should help you find the match).  To enter the contest, just send an email to [email protected] with a list of all five songs matched to their appropriate book title, and if you're correct you'll be entered to win.  On January 10th, I'll draw one winner at random from all of the correct entries, and the prize pack will be shipped your way so you too can be a bookworm in 2008.

And here are the songs:

1.  Nick Lowe - "So It Goes" (from Jesus Of Cool)
2.  Bat For Lashes - "The Wizard" (from Fur and Gold)
3.  Cold War Kids - "Heavy Boots" (from Mulberry Street EP)
4.  The Airborne Toxic Event -  "Does This Mean You're Moving On?" (from EP)
5.  Feist - "Honey Honey" (from The Reminder)

After the jump you'll find the list of books I've read in 2007.  Good luck and happy matching!

As of December 3, I've read:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
The Tesseract by Alex Garland
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkein, Christopher Tolkein and Alan Lee
I'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs
Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
Eating Mammals by John Barlow
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Smashed by Koren Zailckas
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell

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[Michael]

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